Supporting and releasing means for load-retaining stakes.



M. S mm 1A 2T ES NG UN TUI m A T HE R AD PA 0 IL R LN HS N A AE L M MG m S A E L E R D N A .G W M w m 8 N APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1. 1903.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June 21, 1904.

ATENT FFICE.

DAVID MOLAUGHLIN, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,314,'dated June 21, 1904.

Application filed June 1,1903. Serial No. 159,423. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID MQLAUGI-ILIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supporting and Releasing Means for Load-Retaining Stakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to supporting and releasing means for load-retaining stakes, and has for its object the provision of means which may be easily operated from a position of safety to release said stakes.

It consists in the combination, with a suitable load-supporting structure, of a bracket or pocket secured thereto and provided with a hinged front wall or door and means for securing said door in closed position and adapted to be operated to release said door from such closed position.

It also consists of certain other constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my said invention in operative position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the same in stakereleasing position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, on a reduced scale and partly broken away, of said invention in stake-retaining position. Fig. I is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of a portion of the sill of a platform-car and of my said invention in stakereleasing position mounted thereon.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the forwardly-extending side walls of a bracket or pocket, which is also preferably provided with a back wall 3 and suitable apertured attaching-ears, as 4, by means of which ears or by any other suitable means said pocket may be bolted or secured to a load-supporting structure, as to the sill 5 of a car. A door 6 is provided at its lower end with rearwardly-extending apertured ears 7, and journaled upon a shaft 8, projected through said walls 1 and 2 near the bottoms thereof and through said ears 7. Said door has formed upon each side at its upper end rearwardly and downwardly directed hook portions 9, adapted to extend past the forward edges of said walls 1 and 2, respectively, and in operative position to engage the upwardly-extending fingers 10 of opposite vertically-arranged levers 11, eccentrically pivoted, as at 12, to the outer faces of said walls 1 and 2. Said levers are respectively provided at their lower ends with Wrist-pins 13 or other suitable means, adapted to engage the slotted ends of corresponding upwardly-directed arms 14, which arms are keyed to said shaft 8 on opposite sides of said pocket. Said shaft may, if desired, support the foot of a stake mounted in said pocket, or said stake may be supported by ribs formed upon the inner faces of the said walls. The shaft 8 may also extend through a plural number of said pockets and carry the door retaining and releasing means of each of them. At one end of said shaft I provide a lever 15 for operating the shaft, and said lever may be secured against movement by any suitable means, as by a ring 16, adapted to be slipped over the end of said lever and secured to the body of the load-bearing structure by a chain 17 and staple 18.

In operation the door 6 is raised to vertical position, While the levers 11 are held in retracted position. As soon as the door is in closed position said shaft is turned by means of its terminal lever in the proper direction to cause said arms 14 to thrust forward the lower ends of said levers 11,- thereby raising the finger portions 10 of said levers into engagement with the hook portions 9 upon said door. The terminal lever upon said shaft is then looked in stationary relation to the body of said car by means of said ring and chain or otherwise. When it is desired to release stakes mounted in said pockets, the terminal lever on said shaft is first released by removing said ring, and said shaft is then turned, by means of said lever, in the proper direction to cause said arms 14 to thrust backward the lower ends of said levers 11, thus withdrawing said finger portions 10 from engagement with said hooks 9 and releasing said door at its upper end.

The thrust of the load 1 will then usually be sufficient to push said stakes outwardly from the pockets, the doors swinging downwardly to permit their exit.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is

1. In supporting and releasing means for load-retaining stakes, the combination with a suitable load supporting structure of a bracket extending therefrom and having forwardly-extending side walls, a door pivoted at its lower end to said side walls and adapted, in operative position, to form the front wall of said bracket and provided at its upper end with means for engaging locking-levers, locking-levers pivoted at their upper ends to said bracket on opposite sides thereof and respectively provided with means for engaging the lever-engaging means of said door, a shaft journaled in said bracket and extending beyond the same, means secured to said shaft and engaging said levers for swinging said levers on their pivots, and means for locking said shaft against rotation, substantially as described.

2. In stake-supporting and releasing means for load-retaining stakes, the combination with a load-bearing structure of a bracket secured thereto and extending therefrom and provided with a front door pivoted at its lower end to side walls formed on said bracket; levers pivoted at their upper ends to the opposite sides of said bracket and provided at their upper ends with fingers adapted to ongage lever engaging means formed upon the upper end of said door, a shaft journaled in said bracket and extending beyond the same, arms secured to said shaft on opposite sides of said bracket and adapted to engage the lower ends of said levers to swing the same on their pivots, and means for locking said shaft against rotation, substantially as described.

3. In means for the purposes described, the combination with a suitable load bearing structure of a bracket secured thereto and extending therefrom and provided with removable means adapted, in operative position, to extend across the front of said bracket to retain a stake therein, levers pivoted near their upper ends to said bracket on opposite sides thereof and adapted at such ends to engage such removable means to secure the same in operative position, a shaft journaled in said bracket and extending beyond the same, arms secured to said shaft on opposite sides of said bracket and adapted to engage the lower ends of said levers to swing the same on their pivots, and means for locking said shaft in operative position against rotation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID McLAUGHLlN.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. WArsoN, \VELLINGTON M. BLEWE'IT 

